Impression management: self-directed control of information in social interactions

Absztrakt (kivonat)

This thesis paper is intended to analyze how people define themselves in social interactions, how self-presentation takes place in different scenes of life. In contemporary society effective image building of a person is one the core requirements. Unpredictable trends both in private and professional fields of life make it inevitable to equip ourselves with tools of effective impression management in order to experience success instead of failure. In our disposable, plastic and dangerously materialized world where people are mere products one has to make the best commodity. The writer of this paper is trying to provide some theoretical background on the topic in the first part leading the reader’s attention to the most important researches in social psychology. The writer argues that the educational system has a huge responsibility in preparing future generations for the unpredictable by helping them develop not only cognitive but social skills that will enable them to adapt to their social environments and achieve successful performance in life. 157 social media users and 25 actively practicing teachers answered a questionnaire about whether current Hungarian school system is able to prepare its students for the unpredicted. Results show that there is a major deficit in teaching social competencies. Recent studies proved that those without being trained for emotional and social skills in accordance with self-management techniques will experience deficit later on their private and professional careers, therefore traditional learning programs need to be converted into a composition of teaching academic and social skills.